800 pound Viper spotted in Mineral Point

Smart switch will enhance electric service for 8,000 Ameren Missouri customers

"We're installing a type of Distribution Automation (DA) device called a Viper switch," said Russell Burger, SEMO division director for Ameren Missouri. "This new smart technology more rapidly detects and isolates damage on the system and reroutes power where possible – reducing outages and speeding power restoration sometimes from hours to seconds. The smart technology upgrades are delivering up to a 40% improvement in reliability on circuits that use smart equipment switches."

Ameren Missouri's goal is to have one smart switch for every 400 customers in its service territory across the state; this means about 3,000 smart switches will be installed on the grid. To date, more than 1,000 switches have been deployed on the system with approximately 625 of those installed since the start of the Smart Energy Plan in 2019.

"Since January 2019 through August 2021, we have installed 72 DA devices in the SEMO Division alone," said Burger. "This project will find and fix problems faster for thousands of customers in Washington County."

"This smart switch installation project in Mineral Point will help improve reliability to around 8,000 Ameren Missouri customers in the area that is served from seven different substations including the communities of Potosi, Mineral Point, Cadet, Blackwell and Richwoods," said Josh Heineman, career engineer at Ameren Missouri.

Construction of this smart switch project began in mid-October and will bring benefits to area communities this fall.

Part of the make-ready work involved the installation of a new, larger pole to meet structural and height requirements for the new Viper Switch and all the associated equipment needed for operational requirements. 

"The Viper switch itself weighs about 800 pounds. So, for this project we are utilizing two crews (five co-workers) and the boom of a digger truck to hoist the Viper into position," said Heineman. "Typically, a smart switch project similar to this takes just over 100 man-hours to complete the installation."

Even though Rep. Mike McGirl (R-118, Potosi) wasn't a member of the Missouri Legislature when SB564 was passed in 2018, he said it's good to see Ameren Missouri making the investments in the energy grid that were enabled by the passage of that legislation.

"These investments are helping Ameren Missouri customers across the state and this particular project is helping improve reliability for my constituents right here in the Potosi area," said McGirl.

Watch the Mineral Point Viper Project Video here

By the end of 2023, when the current Smart Energy Plan expires, Ameren Missouri will have installed approximately 800 smart switches through the program which began in 2019. While that's great progress, the long-term goal is to install another 1,550 smart switches beyond 2023 – which emphasizes the importance of the Legislature's support to ensure the Smart Energy Plan continues well into the future.